Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 73162 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73162 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
“Go easy on that water,” he growled. “It’s all you’re getting. And don’t think we’re going to make any fucking pit stops—this is a one-way trip. You have to go again, you can pee in the fucking bottle, little sis.”
They slammed the doors to the van shut again, leaving me naked and shivering in the back with nothing but a half-full bottle of lukewarm water and the dirty, smelly blanket.
I had no idea where they were taking me, but I was hungry and thirsty and I had to pee again long before we got there. The water was long gone and I was doing my best to hold it when the van finally stopped traveling and the doors opened again.
Real Kane was standing there. Beside him was a man dressed in a navy blazer and slacks. He had carefully styled silver hair and looked kind of like a game show host, I thought. He looked me up and down and nodded at my brother.
“Well, I’ve seen worse. I’m not sure how much you’ll get for her though—she’s overweight and nothing special, though her face is pretty enough.”
“She’s a Recessive Omega and this is her first Heat Cycle,” Real Kane shot back. “That’s worth a Hell of a lot!”
The other man’s silver eyebrows shot up.
“Truly? If you’re right, she might fetch a pretty penny.”
“I’m right,” my brother said firmly. “Smell her scent. She’s been living as a human all this time and just now came into her Cycle. She doesn’t know anything about the Were world.”
“All right—you have my interest,” the man said. “I’ll style her for a cut of what you get for her. I’m thinking…fifty percent.”
“You fucking high? I’ll give you five,” my brother snarled.
They went back and forth like that, bargaining with my life like I was nothing but a possession. I thought about trying to run but the two of them were blocking the exit from the van and there was no way to get up to the front—there was a metal partition there.
At last they agreed on twenty-percent of the profits from my sale and the well-dressed man took me by the arm.
“Come along, young lady,” he said stiffly. “And be sure you behave yourself. I don’t want to punish you, but I will if I have to.”
I didn’t have much choice—I was still naked and handcuffed. Also, I didn’t see anyone around I could ask for help. The man was leading me into what I assumed was his house—it was a big old Colonial set back in the woods. There was nothing around us but trees.
“I’ll be back for her later,” my brother said, and left in the van.
The minute the van was out of sight, I began to talk.
“Please, Mister,” I began. “I don’t know who you are, but please help me! That man is my brother but he kidnapped me. He—”
“I know perfectly well who your brother is, which means I also know better than to cross him,” the man snapped. “My name is Raymond and I’m a stylist—that’s all you need to know about me. And there’s no point in begging me to help you because I won’t.”
“But…but I have a life back home!” I protested. “You can’t just grab me up like this.”
“I didn’t do that—your brother did,” he said. “As for your old life, forget it—it’s gone and you’re never going back to it.”
I thought of Cookie and Annabelle and The Pie Shop and Miss Sassy, my cat and felt tears starting in my eyes.
“But what’s going to happen to me?” I asked. “I don’t understand—I just keep hearing about some kind of auction.”
“Indeed—the Elite Bitch Auction—also known as the EBA.” He was ushering me inside his immaculately decorated house now. I would have stopped and admired it if I hadn’t been so upset. “I’m going to clean you up as best I can…” Here he made a face, as though I was a tough project he was taking on. “And then you’ll be sold to the highest bidder,” he finished.
“What?” I couldn’t believe it. “But why? Why me?” I demanded. “There’s nothing special or ‘elite’ about me! I’m just a waitress in a diner.”
“According to your brother, you’re a Recessive Omega,” he told me. “That’s extremely rare.”
“But what even is a Recessive Omega?” I asked, feeling bewildered. It seemed like everyone was talking in code. “And for that matter, what is the ‘Were world’ that my brother was talking about?”
Raymond gave me a surprised look.
“You really are innocent, aren’t you? The ‘Were world’ refers to the community of werewolves that resides within the larger human population.”
“The community of what?” I was so startled that I actually started laughing. “You’re joking, right? I mean, you must be.”
“I most certainly am not,” he said stiffly. “Being a Were myself, I wouldn’t joke about such things. Nor should you, since you are also a Were.”